Sermon – “Compare Not to Others”

4 Let a man so consider us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. 2 Moreover it is required in stewards that one be found faithful. 3 But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged by you or by a human court.[a] In fact, I do not even judge myself. 4 For I know of nothing against myself, yet I am not justified by this; but He who judges me is the Lord. 5 Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord comes, who will both bring to light the hidden things of darkness and reveal the counsels of the hearts. Then each one’s praise will come from God. 6 Now these things, brethren, I have figuratively transferred to myself and Apollos for your sakes, that you may learn in us not to think beyond what is written, that none of you may be puffed up on behalf of one against the other. 7 For who makes you differ from another? And what do you have that you did not receive? Now if you did indeed receive it, why do you boast as if you had not received it? 8 You are already full! You are already rich! You have reigned as kings without us—and indeed I could wish you did reign, that we also might reign with you! 9 For I think that God has displayed us, the apostles, last, as men condemned to death; for we have been made a spectacle to the world, both to angels and to men. 10 We are fools for Christ’s sake, but you are wise in Christ! We are weak, but you are strong! You are distinguished, but we are dishonored! 11 To the present hour we both hunger and thirst, and we are poorly clothed, and beaten, and homeless. 12 And we labor, working with our own hands. Being reviled, we bless; being persecuted, we endure; 13 being defamed, we entreat. We have been made as the filth of the world, the offscouring of all things until now. 14 I do not write these things to shame you, but as my beloved children I warn you. 15 For though you might have ten thousand instructors in Christ, yet you do not have many fathers; for in Christ Jesus I have begotten you through the gospel. 16 Therefore I urge you, imitate me. 17 For this reason I have sent Timothy to you, who is my beloved and faithful son in the Lord, who will remind you of my ways in Christ, as I teach everywhere in every church. 18 Now some are puffed up, as though I were not coming to you. 19 But I will come to you shortly, if the Lord wills, and I will know, not the word of those who are puffed up, but the power. 20 For the kingdom of God is not in word but in power. 21 What do you want? Shall I come to you with a rod, or in love and a spirit of gentleness?

4 Who are you to judge another’s servant? To his own master he stands or falls. Indeed, he will be made to stand, for God is able to make him stand.

9 And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

9 For you remember, brethren, our labor and toil; for laboring night and day, that we might not be a burden to any of you, we preached to you the gospel of God. 10 You are witnesses, and God also, how devoutly and justly and blamelessly we behaved ourselves among you who believe; 11 as you know how we exhorted, and comforted, and charged[b] every one of you, as a father does his own children, 12 that you would walk worthy of God who calls you into His own kingdom and glory. 13 For this reason we also thank God without ceasing, because when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you welcomed it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which also effectively works in you who believe.

16 in the day when God will judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ, according to my gospel.

This morning a message the titled compare not to others we are not to compare ourselves to others we’re not to compare other ministers to other ministers or other Vangelis other evangelists we’re not to compare. To others if we want to compare ourselves to anyone. Let’s compare ourselves to Christ Amen Let’s begin this morning with our prayer Father again we thank you for your faithfulness we thank you for your presence thank you for your presence here today the Lord through the power of your Holy Spirit and father just pray that you or your spirit would speak to our hearts and our minds help us to receive your words Father your words of wisdom and understanding and follow just pray that it would help us to grow May We each and every one of us grow in our faith in our understanding of you and may we be faithful father faithful in all things faithful to do your will and father again just bless us with your glories presence and we thank you and we ask all these things in Jesus name Amen. Our first scripture this morning comes or main scripture from First Corinthians chapter four and it’s a long reading but I will probably as often do pause partway through and speak a little bit grant the INS for verses one through twenty one and before I begin you know we are reading this week were first Corinthians Chapter one through five and much of that is entire five chapters was Paul speaking to the church guiding the church disciplining this planning the church the young church as you know the church is incorrect was a very young church a new church so it was the early church if you want to call it that so here the word of the Lord. Let a man so consider us he’s speaking of the disciples the Apostles themselves let a man consider us as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God Moreover it is required. Wards that one be found faithful but with me is that it is a very small thing that I should be judged by you or by human cord in fact I do not even judge myself for I know nothing against myself yet I am not justified by this but He who judges may is little or Therefore judge nothing before the time until the word comes who will bring who will both bring to light the things the hidden things of darkness and reveal the counsels of the heart then each one’s praise will come from God. How it that’s where we want our praise to come from we don’t want our praise to come from our brothers and sisters or our neighbors or someone else we want our praise to come from God so that we should do all that we do then to please who to please God to please The Father Amen Now these things brother and I have figured to fully transferred to myself and Apollos for your sakes that you may learn in us not to think beyond what is written that none of you may be puffed up on behalf of one another and want to guess to another for who makes you differ from another and what do you have that you did not receive Now if you did wrists did indeed receive it why do you boast as if you had not received it you already full you are already rich you have reigned as kings without us and indeed I could wish you did rain that we also might reign with you for I think that God has displayed us the Apostles last as men condemned to death for we have been made a spectacle to the world both to angels and to men we are fools for christ sakes but you are wise in Christ we are weak but you are strong you are distinguished but we are dishonored to the present hour we both hunger and thirst and we are poorly closed and beaten and homeless. Many times has Paul been beaten what me with Paul went through the list he was shipwrecked three times he was beaten he was stoned he was dragged outside the city and left for dead but God reviving Paul endured so much suffering for the cause of Christ are you willing to endure the kind of suffering he was poorly clothing his clothes was ragged and probably torn in a mess but he was willing to endure all those things for the sake of the Gospel verse twelve and we labor working with our own hands being reviled we bless being persecuted persecuted we endured being the feigned we entreat we have been made as the filth of the of the world and the offspring of all things until now I do not write these things to shame you but as my beloved children I warn you for though you might have ten thousand instructors in Christ yet you do not have many fathers for in Christ Jesus I have begun you through the Gospel therefore I urge you imitate me and he saying imitate me as I imitate Christ for this reason I have sent Timothy to you who is my beloved and faithful son in the Lord who will remind you of my ways in Christ as I teach everywhere in every church now some are puffed up as though I were not coming to you but I will come to you shortly if the Lord wills and I will know not the words of those who are puffed up but the power for the Kingdom of God is not in word but in power what do you want so I come to you with a rod or in love and a spirit of gentleness and I got his blessings to the hearing and reading of his holy word I like that last verse so I come to you with a rod or you do want me to come in the spirit of love and gentleness so he’s saying get you. Or act in order to before I get there so that I don’t have to come there in the rod the Apostle Paul gives several images of the minister of the church for to be exact in my one is that as a of a servant that they minister of the gospel is a servant of Jesus Christ and also a stored servants kind of simple you should understand that but as a steward. As a spectacle and as a father. The word stored as Jews in this passage is a Greek word for stored is all colon Ima which means to be a household distributor or manager or overseer of. A said household in other scripts and for Steward given is very similar but I stored may manage an entire household for his master yet he himself the stored absolutely nothing. Joseph would be a prime example of this Joseph was a faithful steward in pontiffs house whenever Joseph was sold into slavery and he wound up in pontiff or south ponder for purchase Joseph say he was a slave he was a servant but he became the still word of that household because pantoprazole his faithfulness all that he was trustworthy so he became the steward of the entire household upon to for and his household as I said flourished under Joseph’s guidance under his direction you know an example today for a modern example you know you could think of a shop steward someone it’s in charge of a a work area shop whether it be a manufacturing or even a. You know an office type environment you might have a steward it is over that shop so that stores prime responsibility is to make the owner or the Master. Happy he is he has a responsibility. And his main responsibility is to please the master above all else so in doing so whether we’re speaking of the master of a household with a biblical example or the master of a shop or whatever you know the members the other members of the household may not always be pleased with the decisions of the of the Steward he met they may be unhappy you know because the master of that household or the steward of that household might say Listen up we need to get this place spit shine we needed clean we need to look good we don’t want the master to come home and find this house in disarray we want the meals prepared we want them to be. Wonderful to eat we want good food we want the household taken care of so those that are under the steward might not be happy with the steward at all times but that doesn’t concern a store because a store is only concerned with one thing and that is pleasing the master above all else. That is his main concern Romans fourteen four says Who are you to judge another servants to his own master he stands or falls indeed he will be made to stand for God is able to make him stand. In verse three in our passage in chapter four. Paul says it matters very little what you think of me. You know that sounds a little bit arrogant doesn’t it well you know what he say and I really don’t care what you think about me it doesn’t matter it does sound a little bit arrogant. But he say into the Corinthian church listen it’s not a popularity contest. Between myself and Apollos and Peter it’s not a popularity contest. It’s about glorifying God It’s about ministering to the church it’s not putting want to the other because I don’t care. As you say about me the church had separated into different cliques now be pretty hard for us to separate into different cliques we’re not that large but you know you get into larger churches you have cliques but this church the church the current they had separated one was believing that they had the whole truth one says why I am of Apollos the other says WA follow Paul’s teaching another Raffaello Peter’s teaching and each one thought their teaching was better than the others. They thought that they had the edge on the truth. You know it’s amazing how competition can even sliver its way into the church you see competition everywhere. You know we see competition all the time in sports on a lot of us like sports and that’s the natural place for to be they want to be competitive we’ll see competition in the workplace trying to outdo your coworker. Make them look bad makes you look good we see competition in schools from the earliest over years in school from spelling bees to band competitions I remember the band competitions and everyone trying to make the first chair and whatever instrument they play it becomes a competition doesn’t it. Competition is ingrained to us from the earliest of ages. I can remember student B.B. gun with my grandson sonny says let’s get some cans of shoot at do you get the little cans it’s two points if you get the big hand it’s only one so we had a competition and he beat me every time he’s a good little shot. But. We should not have competitions in the church Paul makes it clear that one minister is no better than the other. The church is in error when we allow competition to find its way into the church. We should not ever become so taken by one minister that we place them upon a pedestal. That’s really the whole thing throughout the first five chapters of First Corinthians Paul saying Come on folks you must consider us as servants servants of Christ and stores of the mysteries of the gospel. They the ministers of Christ are called for one purpose and one purpose only. And that is to do what God has called them to do one purpose to please the master one might play at the sea. But may not reap the harvest someone else may come along and water the sea another minister may come along and cultivate the ground to help the plant to grow to help the believe to grow and another may harvest but one is not greater than the other each one is just as important so don’t place any pastor upon a pedestal because they’re doing what the God has called them to do their being faithful stores one responsibility a found a little story about. The responsibility of being faithful a lighthouse keeper who worked on the Iraqi stretch of coastline received a new supply of oil once a month to keep the light burning. Not being far from shore he had frequent with Quest frequent requests a tongue twister there one night a woman from the village begs some old to keep her family warm Another time a father asked for some old to use in his lamp another needed just a little while to lubricate the wheels someone since all requests seem very legitimate that lighthouse or tried to please everyone and grant all the request toward the end of the month though he noticed that the supply of oil was getting very low soon it was gone. And the beacon won out that night several ships wrecked and lives were lost when authorities investigated the man was very repentant to his excuses and pleads the reply was You were given oil for one purpose only. And that was the keep the light burning. That was his prime responsibility. For ends the responsibility of the Minister is to present the gospel of Jesus Christ. And him alone to please the master and him alone so yes sometimes a minister before any congregation may not please those that he is Mr into but he is to preach the gospel according to that which God has given him. My second point. Paul says I think that God has displayed us the Apostles last as men condemned to death for we have been made a spectacle to the world. You know it’s an image that we may not grasp and understand really easily today you know what is he talking about what is a sport is he talking about a spectacle ministers are made a spectacle. While the image that he was using that was very familiar with those people the room people of the Roman Empire because the government in that day they kept the people pacified by presenting all different sorts of entertainment to them and in many different cities the Greek word spectacle translates to the English word theater the theaters the amphitheaters would be filled with spectators eager to see man compete in the games. That’s not a whole lot different than today is it a man will pack into the stadiums by thousands by seventy five one hundred thousand to see the spectacle is rather be a football game or rock a game or a base but whatever we like entertainment but in those days after the game. Was were over the poorest than the weakest prisoners would be made to fight with Beast. So the people the spectators of that day were hungry for blood they were hungry for blood. But even there not a lot has changed today has it people are still drawn to such things drawn to the ampitheater as well maybe not the ampitheater were drawn to the T.V. to participate in our favorite drama or a violent movie or favorite violent video game according to the American Psychiatric Association. By the age of eighteen an average US use who has seen sixteen thousand simulated murders and two hundred thousand act of violence through television or video by the time they turn eighteen. Paul is using this image to reveal his willingness to die for the cause of Christ willing to be ridiculed willing to be mocked for his passion to reveal the mysteries of God he’s willing to become a spectacle. Willing to allow others to mock him or ridicule him or even to beat him. Seven Corinthians twelve nine. And he said to me My grace is sufficient for you for my strength is made perfect in weakness therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities that the power of Christ may rest upon me. He’s willing to endure all those things that the power of Christ may rest upon him. While Paul’s words were meant to be a stern warning for the church and grin he also had a tenderness in his words the tenderness of a loving father for he was the founder of the church in Corinth he was their spiritual father verses forty. And fifteen he said I do not write these things to shame you but as my beloved children I warn you for though you might have ten thousand instructors in Christ yet you do not have many fathers for in Christ Jesus I had big gotten you through the gospel. Ten thousand structures but the most important thing is they have someone this willing to be their father I want to read the same two verses to you from The Message Bible you’re not going to have them added listen to it from the message I’m not writing all this as a neighbor scold just to make you feel rotten I’m writing as a father to you my children I love you and want you to grow up well not spoiled there and there are a lot of people around you who can’t wait to tell you what you’ve done wrong but there aren’t many fathers willing to take your take the time and effort to help you grow up it was as Jesus help me proclaim God’s message to you that I became your father and this kind of really goes along with a lot of our discussion a Sabbath school this morning Paul say and I want to be your father he say and I want to take you by the hand and help you grow I want to be the front your father not just an instructor I want to be your father Paul was a spiritual father of many other believers many of the churches and first this alone eons to not through thirteen you might have that one you remember us in those days friends working our fingers to the bones up half the night moonlighting so you wouldn’t half so we you wouldn’t have to burden yeah wouldn’t have the burden of supporting us while we proclaim God’s message to you you saw with your own eyes how discreet and courteous we were among you with keen sensitive. Ity to us fellow believers and God knows we weren’t free loaders you experience and all first hand with each of you we were like a father with his child holding your hand whispering encouragement showing you step by step how to live well before God who called us into his own kingdom into this delightful life and now we look back on all this and thank God an artesian well of thanks when you got the message of God we preached you didn’t pass it off as just one more human opinion but you took it to heart as God’s true word to you which it is God himself at work in you believers you know I know that there’s enough parents here with young children to know who remember when your child was very very young you know it might have been between a year or two years old when their first beginning to walk what did you do you set down on the floor your you and your husband or you and your wife and you set down error about four feet apart and you held that little in the tried to coax him encourage him to walk to the other and they did you know that might stumble a little bit but they get there and you just what do you do you keep moving a little farther and a little farther in a little farther apart didn’t you as they learned more and more how to walk they learned to the balance themselves they learned to study themselves they had to learn to take those first few steps didn’t they. But they got better and better and better and it’s the same way with the church that’s what we were talking about downstairs to everyone’s at a different level some might be new Some might be just a babe in Christ some might be mature but are we willing to be the father of those young believers the father or the mother are we willing to take them by the hand to help them to encourage them yes they may stumble they may stumble and screw. Their needs or bruise or elbows. But are we going to discourage them when they do know we’re going to help them up we’re going to help brush them off encourage them to move on in the faith. Because I said downstairs faith is a journey we’re not going to turn say this is too hard to model turned back know we help them get up we take them by the hand encourage them on the way the way of faith to continue seeking after God. That’s how we mentor that’s how we guide new believers sometimes we may have to hold their hands sometimes we might even have to carry them just like we do that young child. But sooner or later we have to let them go. We have to let them go but Paul rejoiced when they got it they will eventually get it Paul says they look back on all this and they thank God they thank God when he got the message he says when you got the message we preach you didn’t pass it off as just one more human opinion opinion but you took it to heart as God’s true word to you that’s the key folks that’s that’s what we strive for that they will get it. That the unsaved will get it that new believers will get it and they will grow grow and become mature Christians grounded in rooted in the word. Paul said Let us not compare a sales with other. Room we do. Here’s the problem with that when we compare ourselves with others we usually consider ourselves better then the other don’t we come on now be honest when we compare someone ourselves with someone else we usually think we’re better than they are. And what happens then we become puffed up. Everybody grow. Is it different paces. Some are sprinters summer long distance runners Some are young some are old being Some are young some are mature summery mature but everybody’s growing as the key. Romans twelve sixteen says and in the day when God will judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to my Gospel God will be the one the judge men. God will be the one the judge even though Paul was a founder of the church in Corinth he did not accept any praise toward himself he gave the credit to the Lord Jesus Christ and the work of the Holy Spirit when a pastor or a teacher or a leader in a church begins to seek the praise and honor from their congregations they have fallen into the trap of pride they become puffed up thinking that they are the ones responsible for growing the church thinking it was their own power. But what did he say in verse seven for who makes you different from another and what do you have that you did not receive Now if you did indeed receive it why do you boast as if you did not receive it all that we have my friends we have received it from God so why should we get puffed up. When Charles Evan Hughes was appointed chief justice of the Supreme Court of the United States he moved to Washington and transferred his letter of membership to a Baptist church there his father had been a Baptist minister and use had been a lifelong witness to his own faith in Christ Jesus and it was the custom of this Baptist church to have all new members come forward during the morning the morning service and introduce to the congregation on this particular day the first to be called was a Chinese laundry. Men. Are saying was his name and he moved. To Washington from San Francisco and kept laundry near the church he stood at the far side of the puppet as others were called they took their positions at the extreme opposite side when a dozen people had been gathered Ossie ing stood stood stood alone. Then Chief Justice was called at the last. And he significantly stood next to the laundrymen a Christian who only associates with people of the same intellect or academic or professional interest is not living up to what scripture mandates. Where would you stand. Compared not yourself to others. Because when you do you can become puffed up pride can enter in. As we said from the scripture reading. Let our praise come from God That’s where we want our praise to come from from God alone from the master our responsibility is to please the master and only him. And only him. Be willing to be that servant be willing to be that steward be willing to be a spectacle with that’s what God calls you to be but be willing to be that father. Be that father to mentor to guide to direct as God leads and do all this to please him not to please others but to please him that he may say well done by good and faithful servant Amen.